Early in the development of The Empire Strikes Back, Bespin was identified as Katbrae, and then Kettlebrae, The Gas Planet. An intriguing concept was the entire planet somehow possessed a cloaking device that made it and its floating cities invisible from space. In these early incarnations, the Gas Planet was home to an intelligent species called the Whatnots, which traveled on immense flying whales.

Lucas has long been trying to get these whales into the Star Wars films. The Bespin whales were recycled into Return of the Jedi concept art, originally as a means of conveyance later replaced by Jabba's sail barge and skiff. They were then possible concepts for the Gungan military when developing The Phantom Menace. An incarnation of these whales will finally be seen in Attack of the Clones. (Taken from StarWars.com)

But where will we see them?

Obi-Don

10-05-2001, 03:37 AM

Whales flying or not.Hey, why not.It worked in Star Trek.

JediTricks

10-05-2001, 01:22 PM

The flying space whales in the concept art for Ep 1 were the last straw, I don't think Lucas should try to bring these in, it seems kinda like a '70s poster come to life. ;)

Tycho

10-05-2001, 02:57 PM

Whales could be on Kamino, the water planet where the clones are made (Obi-Wan vs. Jango Fett scenes fought in the rain).

It won't make or break the movie in my view. ( unless I read something else, like the whole movie is seen from the point of view of this large whale that flies through space and watches over Anakin: Moby-Dick-Obi. Vader risks his life to hunt it down in Episode 3 - or is that another movie? )

jawaboy

10-05-2001, 03:36 PM

Whales?

Does Natalie count?

Rollo Tomassi

10-05-2001, 04:32 PM

Originally posted by JediTricks
The flying space whales in the concept art for Ep 1 were the last straw, I don't think Lucas should try to bring these in, it seems kinda like a '70s poster come to life. ;)

YES!

(The group;) )

Jargo

10-05-2001, 05:16 PM

Just suggests lazy design work in my humble opinion. Can't be bothered to think up anything decent so just pick the first crap rejected design and use that. Kinda like the haphazard way we saw Lucas picking vehicle designs in the making of documentary.
Eeny meeny miney moe...... Hey - the crap whale design again! Well whadda ya know....... :rolleyes:

I would hazard a guess that that cloaked planet thing has been recycled too to become Kamino. We'll probably find all sorts of recycled designs in ep2. Some good, some bad. Personally, I never liked the whale design. I always thought it looked lame. Although not as bad as the possible use of giant Albatross in the early Alderaan design work for ANH.......... :eek:

Co Jo-Da

10-06-2001, 12:31 AM

Does anyone have a link that might show the concept design for the whales?

Jargo

10-06-2001, 07:39 AM

I think this is the design they're talking about.

Co Jo-Da

10-06-2001, 12:31 PM

Thank you...EMPEROR JARGO. I hope they end up like that...very cool looking.

2-1B

10-06-2001, 03:07 PM

I agree they are neat looking.

But I hope they fit in with the species that uses them . . . does anyone know who it will be? I hope they do not assign them to a technological race like the Geonosians.

Jargo

10-06-2001, 08:00 PM

Forgive me for for my ignorance, but since when have these designs been called 'whatnots' ? I remember the designs being around for years and in various books like the art of return of the jedi, and they were called THRANTA. Every piece of info I've seen has called them that. Where the hell did this 'whatnot' business come from? SHEESH! :rolleyes: If they were originally going to be called whatnots then I'm glad they didn't get used in the movies. I hope to god they don't call them that in this movie. It's a name straight from the school of no imagination. Whoever came up with that name must have graduated with honours....

However, I amd actually warming to the idea of the creatures in the light of the information we already have about episode two. I now want a beast pack of this thing so i can have Obi-Wan in his starfighter attacking the dumb whale.

Why does it get called a flying whale? It looks nothing like a whale at all. It looks like a cross between a Manta ray and a bird of some description. But nothing like a whale.

master jedi

10-07-2001, 10:18 PM

Originally posted by Obi-Don
Whales flying or not.Hey, why not.It worked in Star Trek.

But this isn't Star Trek.

GNT

10-08-2001, 05:15 AM

Originally posted by EMPEROR JARGO
Why does it get called a flying whale? It looks nothing like a whale at all. It looks like a cross between a Manta ray and a bird of some description. But nothing like a whale.

It maybe called a whale,but thats what they call them on whatever planet they are on. I think they'll be used by the Geonosians cause I don't think they'll use them on Coruscant and Tatooine.Possible could be used on Naboo but I think Geonosians will have the Whales :)

Jargo

10-08-2001, 07:24 AM

I reckon Kamino will be their home. Unless GL pulled a fast one and filmed scenes on Alderaan without any of it getting leaked. These 'whales' were originally destined to be high plains riders mounts on Alderaan in ANH before they dumped that side of the story.

jawaboy

10-08-2001, 09:43 AM

I agree that the whale would look absolutely awesome on a planet like Geonosian. I mean think about it, it's a planet that is all water. The sea life will obviously have evolved to exploit every conceivable means of movement. We even have flying fish here on earth! With the rainy fight scene, the pics we've seen of the city in the ocean in the midst of swirling waterfalls, I think it's only appropriate to have some huge animal, like a whale, that is capable of flying. Even though the Geonosian's are technologically advanced, they work with life (cloning), not against it. If they have simple creatures to use to their benefits, I'm sure they'll exploit it. I love the idea, just not on Tatooine!

JEDIpartner

10-08-2001, 11:36 AM

I have no problems with these creatures being in the film. I don't even care if they are called "whatnots"... seriously, we never even heard anyone refer to the giant patrol lizards as "Dewbacks" or the Jawas' beasts of burden referred to as "Rontos". I just hope they are used wisely and not made to speak a la that flying dog-lizard in "Neverending Story".

JediTricks

10-08-2001, 12:17 PM

In the background on Alderraan, I could accept these creatures, but as a main mode of transport or a major plot device, I could not see that working.

bigbarada

10-09-2001, 10:18 PM

As long as they look cool I could care less if they make sense or not. Logic is secondary to eye-candy when it comes to Star Wars films.

Kamino is the water planet and the Kaminoans(?) are the cloners.
This is the first new planet we see, where Obi-Wan fights Jango in the rain.

Geonosis is the rocky red planet, the second new planet we see, and the location of the arena scenes and the final battle (for E2).
The Geonosian capital serves as a base for the Confederacy, and it is a location for battle droid manufacturing.

Thrantas are from Alderaan, seen in the picture so kindly provided, so they might be used in Epiosde 3. Some were exported to Bespin (Cloud City) where they thrived, during the 18 years before Alderaan was destroyed in Episode 4.

Jargo

10-10-2001, 04:24 PM

Apart from the fact that the official site databank entries for Bespin gave us the information that Lucas had finally got around to using this design inEPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONED DESIGNS! :D

Great, Whales. What's next lions, tigers, and bears. Oh, and of course ducks.

Jargo

10-25-2001, 01:50 PM

C-3PO in episode 3:
"Lions and tigers and bears? Oh my! This is all your fault Artoo..."

I don't mind the 'whales' or Thranta as I prefer to keep calling them.
At least it's a link to the old designs that were fresh. I'd actually be disappointed if some of those awful Teryl Whitlatch designs that got rejected in episode one were shoved into the movie.

Actually, no. I wouldn't mind if they were reworked and designed by someone with a better artistic style. Teryl's stuff is too scratchy for me personally. Idon't know - say, Ralph McQuarrie drew them instead. They'd look fine then. The animators would have a better idea of how the finished CGI creature was going to look instead of having to make it up as they went because the original drawn design they had to work off just didn't have enough detail in it.

But I digress...

Thranta swooping majestically past the camera will look very cool in a permastorm and darkness. At least it's a slightly different design than another big lizard. Although we do get another big lizard in episode two strangely enough...... The Reek.

And wasn't it the Reek that was the model George Lucas was holding in one of the Making of documentaries? All knobbly and blue and cream and minus it's horns?

snakeplkn

10-25-2001, 03:10 PM

Flying whales? Makes me think of Linkin Park's musique video "In the End." The video has great white whales flying around in the background. Definitely "In the End" is the weakest of their three videos in part because of this odd concept.

Now I wouldn't mind a Jar Jar Binks edit of "Crawling." You could have him contemplating life as the musique blazes:

"There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self control, I fear is never-ending
Controlling, I can't seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
I've felt this way before
So insecure"

Even if they do show up I doubt it'll be for more than a few seconds in the background. Not like we'll have a flying whale leading the Jedi Council into battle. So it is of little concern.

GNT

10-26-2001, 03:38 AM

Originally posted by evenflow
Great, Whales. What's next lions, tigers, and bears. Oh, and of course ducks.

Ducks were in EPisode 1 :) :D

JediTricks

10-26-2001, 12:06 PM

I honestly picture this thing being the FIRST beast pack Hasbro does for Ep 2, unless it actually plays a real part in the movie, then they'll just have it be an exclusive to Thailand or some nonsense. ;)

I can see it as a beast pack too. Possibly one of the two planned for the initial wave of toy releases. I fear the flapping wing feature or the snapping jaws we never saw etc. Oh who am I kidding I'm gonna go nuts for it probably whatever it looks like, I'm just a sucker for the beasties.

Co Jo-Da

10-26-2001, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by JediTricks
I honestly picture this thing being the FIRST beast pack Hasbro does for Ep 2, unless it actually plays a real part in the movie, then they'll just have it be an exclusive to Thailand or some nonsense. ;)

Just like the Qui-Gon and Eopie figure set...

JediTricks

10-27-2001, 09:58 AM

Exactly!

I picture flapping wings and a really poorly-made figure. ;)

Jargo

10-27-2001, 12:16 PM

Hopefully not as bad as the star wars minifigs that Lego put out. Their Aldar Beedo was just like a christmas cracker novelty toy made in the crappiest of crap sweatshop factories in China. Oh, that's where the Hasbro stuff gets made too.... :(

JediTricks

10-28-2001, 11:42 AM

Yeah, Gasgano is like that too, but those are the only 2 Lego SW figures that are solid junk instead of articulated.